The Star: July 21, 2016

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NEGLECTED: Sol Square was in a derelict state not long before fire destroyed the building.
PHOTOS: URBEX CENTRAL
Sol Square’s shabby
state before the fire
• By Gabrielle Stuart
URBEX CENTRAL “urban
explorers” has released what are
possibly the last photographs
taken of Sol Square before it was
gutted in a fire last week.
The photos were posted online
on July 9, less than a week before
the fire, which is believed to have
been deliberately lit.
The photographer, who did
not want to be named, said the
square was “derelict”.
“We found the place was rather
trashed and the place felt severely
neglected. There were remnants
of people squatting and a lot of
graffiti.”
The future of Sol Square has
been uncertain since developer
Dave Henderson’s company
Property Ventures Ltd was put
into liquidation in 2010.
Disputes over the buildings
were still being fought in court
earlier this year.
Other developers have put
their hands up to take the project
on, but their attempts stalled
because of the disputes.
The fire left one of the buildings
so unstable it had to be
demolished on Saturday.
The Urbex Central pictures can
be found on their website www.
urbexcentral.com
Members of the group have
been threatened with charges for
sneaking into abandoned buildings,
including the Christ Church
Cathedral, to take photos.
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New political group eyes
local body elections
• By Bridget Rutherford
A NEW political
group has
emerged to
fight for seats in
the local body
elections in
October.
Community Voice will stand
candidates in the Cashmere and
Spreydon wards.
Rik Tindall (above), a current
Spreydon-Heathcote Community
Board member will stand in
the Cashmere Ward.
Political newbie Patricia
Siataga will stand in the Spreydon
Ward.
They will campaign on issues
surrounding the future of The
Princess Margaret Hospital.
• By Bridget Rutherford
CITY COUNCILLOR Paul
Lonsdale will vie
for a seat around
the council table in
the new Heathcote
Ward.
Cr Lonsdale,
who ran for mayor
They want the hospital to be
turned into high-density housing
and a 24-hour health service.
Mr Tindall said there was a lot
of need for housing in the city
and the hospital site would be
perfect.
“We will want the site for high
density housing,” he said.
However, Lee Sampson, who
is standing for the Cashmere-
Spreydon Community Board
under The People’s Choice, said
housing at the site would congest
Cashmere Rd further.
City councillor Phil Clearwater,
who will stand for council
under The People’s Choice in
Cashmere, said there would
need to be a lot of assessment on
whether high-density housing
could work at the site.
Lonsdale for Heathcote
in the last elections, was initially
tossing up whether to stand in
the Central or Heathcote wards.
He currently lives in the new
Fendalton Ward, but was in the
process of building a new family
home in Mt Pleasant.
He told The Star he would
stand in Heathcote as he had
done a lot of work in the area.
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